1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a general-purpose internal combustion engine having a vertically extending crank shaft.
2. Description of the Prior Art
General-purpose internal combustion engines find use as the prime mover in various forms of agricultural and civil engineering equipment, and also in other devices such as lawn mowers. It is preferrable to reduce the height of the engine in order to lower the height of the entire device for stabilizing the same during operation.
Prior general-purpose internal combustion engines have intake and exhaust valves located side by side with intake and exhaust passages arranged in vertically juxtaposed relationship on one side of a cylinder head. A carburetor and an air cleaner which are connected to the intake passage and a muffler coupled to the exhaust passage have to be positioned so that they will not be disposed adjacent to each other on one side of the engine. This has imposed a limitation on the effort to reduce the height of the engine.